Pressing Matters to Attend

We'll see how these bearings hold up compared to my CK devolution which has much larger, external bearings:

I need the DXC though because of the 14mm total stack height. My XL HL head tube is 6".
Goodness help me, I took TA's advice and went for the CroMag stem instead of the Azonic.
Monster block of metal, this thing. Now I'll have to replace my X4 stem for the 66 it'll surely feel wimpy by comparison.

Prolly won't have time to start till Monday but I'll surely post something when I'm done.

tiny bearings.... thats what i saw before orderin my dbl xc. i was lookin for a orbit 1.5 r but no one had em in stock. just scored a orbit z on ebay though it might nesesetate a new short crown.

congrats on the new bits. boxes show up on my doorstep almost daily right now. im a busy boy.

edit: watch those h/set seals. i busted 1 durrin the install when it slipped from its home in the upper cup and got smashed under the top cap, a spacer and upper crown. cc was very cool when i called to admit my moronic move and sent me 2 more on the house.

No probs on those bearings for me yet. However, it's almost impossible not to damage that crown race during removal with a standard tool, should you ever need to do so. Be sure to hit those hideous blue plastic spacers with a black sharpie before install, or dip them in gold glitter.

Those bearings in the DXC Flush will need replacement yearly in my experience. No big deal as they are fairly cheap and easy to replace.
I usually fill the channels that the blue seals sit in with some waterproof grease (boat trailer axle bearing grease works well) before assembly. This helps keep the water and crud out a bit.

So incredibly worthless, and so incredibly awesome at the same time. We have one at my shop. It doesn't really work any better then a hammer and a screw driver if you know what you're doing for both, but its just such an absurd tool that its rad by definition.

way more as a matter of fact but it doesnt wallow out or bend crown races or deform the crown tolerances like the screwdriver trick can and leaves nary a mark on anything when yer done so ya dont piss off the custys, all very unlike the risks and realities of the other option. it fits 1" all the way up to 1.5" too. my fave part of this tool is how efficiantly it works. the longest and hardest part of the job is pickin it off the tool wall. all in all it makes and saves me money.

I run the XC Flush on my Highline. The adjustment knobs of my 07' 66RC2X just touch the frame on the down tube. I'm switching to a DC fork, Fox or 888 so for the time being I'm not that worried. Two seasons on the XC in Oregon and zero issues with watter or crud affecting the bearrings.

Even with the deep set cups there was sufficient room to get full purchase:

A few solid firm taps and the cups came right out:
I was concerned having read so many horror stories about stuck 1.5 and deep set cups. No problems though.
Trick: tie a loop of string through the head tube and HS before inserting the tool and you won't have to worry about catching the cup as it ejects.
(but y'all knew that already)

Removing and pressing headsets is probably one of my favorite tasks. Don't know why but I dig the precision fit.Pre-Set shot, It really was straight when I started:

CC, SR1, Dusty, yeah I was quite mindful about the plastic seals. I def greased everything, and made sure I had grease in the grooves and on the seal. I expect the bearing might not last more than a year, it is indeed easy to change. The race took a fair bit of whacking with a PVC and hammer to get it seated, more than usual. If that's any indication, removing it will be a challenge. I of course have a spare for the other fork. I might try to gold tint the cnc'd logo on the stem. That would be cooli-o fer sure! Got some other ideas as well...

As you can see a 14mm total stack height is pretty much the most I could get away with on a 6" head tube:
Time for a touch-up on dem bars. I wonder if I can send them out to get anno'd? now where did I seee something like that before? When Zoke releases their high rise crown Maybe I'll put the CK lower cup on.

JC, The Cromag Stem while low-profile, is bolt-on.In addition to the single clamp, it is bolted directly to the upper crown from below:

Excuse the sloppy photo. Two bolts attach the stem to the crown.
That puppy ain't goin nowhere.

The 8" rotor brake boss lined up with my Formula T1 brake caliper perfectly. No more adaptors, no more shims.Sorry, no time for quality glamour shots today.

Whoopieeee! this is one big arsed fork. Plush yeah, well from what I can tell sitting on a bike in the basement. Looking down at that monster rock beater I can see I'll have the old PF Flyer slogan running through my head all season.

Wide arsed turning radius though. Good thing I have a 66RC3 waiting in the wings for the tight trails. That'll get fitted next.

*edit* I just checked. There's maybe 2-3mm above the weld on the top pretty much nothing available on the bottom.

I think rather than a permanent change like that, I'd get the taller upper crown if/when it's available. Meanwhile this seems fine, as long as I don't run a 3.0 tire.(And that might actually fit too) The 2.6 Ardent has plenty of room and I'll check any other tire that looks larger when I put it on.

Yeah I'll try the 888 on the trails too. Just nice to have the option to drop a pound and pick up some maneuverability for X-ups if I ever learn. Meanwhile I can learn tailwhips. (queue song "High Hopes")

The CK stack height is a great deal higher than the cc DXC. It flat out won't fit on the XL-HL with a 888, at least not until Zoke makes a taller crown available. Even then I probably will only be able to get the lower CK cup on with the CC top.

And yes, I want to switch bwn forks as easily as switching tires. If I got the 66RCX3 in 1.5 I would have to change headsets with the fork swaps because the DXC can't be converted to 1.5 like the CK Devo can. The ID of the DCX cups are 1-1/8. The CK has external bearings so you only need to remove the insert of the upper bearing cap, get a 1.5 preload cap, and have a 1.5 crown race on the other fork. But again, the CK is too tall on a 6" head tube with standard 888 upper crowns.

Moose, if I had one of those rings, I'd surely have my stem made to match!
The hand models on CVT are improving.